Information processing provides the underlying foundation of most modern enterprises. Whether it is managing a school, managing inventory, conducting sales, or the like, the information (e.g., student information, class schedule information, inventory stock, item identifications, price information, and the like) is key to maintaining operation of the enterprise. Before the advent of accessible computers, most such information processing was performed by hand, using paper files, indices, and the like. However, because computers are especially useful in the processing of information, their application to such uses have become common place. Computers manage school information, such as enrollment, student names and information, class schedules, assigned teachers, and the like; inventory information, such as item identification, numbers in inventor, dates of acquisition and disposition, and the like; sales information, such as price, quantity in stock, purchaser information, and the like. One technology which has greatly advanced the efficiency of such information processing is information scanning.
Information scanning may be accomplished through a variety of methods, such as optical scanning of documents, which are then processed through image and character recognition applications to interpret the images as actual coded text. This process, referred to generally as optical character recognition (OCR), has allowed paper documents to be digitized into computer accessible and operable information. Barcodes have also provided a great leap in efficiency in all manner of operations. Laser barcode scanners have been used in grocery stores for years in order to read the universal product code (UPC) barcode placed on each item in the store. After decoding the barcode, the underlying computers know what product is being purchased and the current price that the product is being sold for. Barcodes are now also used to identify individuals, such as patients in a hospital where a barcode containing their admission information is printed on a wrist band; tickets, whether they are tickets printed on a home printer for a concert or ball game, or plane tickets, printed on a home printer or an airport kiosk; or the like. Using a laser barcode scanner, these barcodes may be scanned and their authenticity verified by the underlying computer system. Thus, the management of such information has become extremely efficient and accurate.
In order to actually read such barcodes, some type of scanning device or interface is used. For example, laser scanners are typically used to direct a laser beam over the barcode and, through reflection of the laser light waves, determine the light and dark portions of the code. The determined pattern may then be translated into the information represented in the barcode. Optical-based scanners, such as implemented using lens-based cameras, charged coupled device (CCD) electronics, and the like, are also often used to actually capture the image of the text or barcode and image processing algorithms are used to decipher the image, whether into a recognizable character or barcode. Without a scanning device, however, the benefits of such computerized information processing is unavailable. Computers would still be able to perform the information processing, but the entry of the information would be through a manual entry procedure such as a keyboard, keypad, or the like, wherein the user will manually type in the code or information that will be managed by the computer.